< Esther 2 >

1 Lẹ́yìn nǹkan wọ̀nyí, Ahaswerusi ọba sì dáwọ́ ìbínú un rẹ̀ dúró, ó rántí i Faṣti àti ohun tí ó ti ṣe àti àṣẹ tí ó pa nípa tirẹ̀.
Some time later, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done and what had been decreed against her.
2 Nígbà náà ni ìránṣẹ́ ọba tí ó wà ní ọ̀dọ̀ ọ rẹ̀ wí pé, “Jẹ́ kí a wá ọmọbìnrin arẹwà tí kò ì ti mọ ọkùnrin rí fún ọba.
Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
3 Àti pé kí ọba kí ó yan àwọn aláṣẹ ní gbogbo agbègbè ilẹ̀ ọba láti kó gbogbo àwọn arẹwà ọmọbìnrin wọ̀nyí jọ sí ilé àwọn obìnrin ní ilé ìṣọ́ Susa. Kí a kó wọn fún ìtọ́jú Hegai, ìwẹ̀fà ọba, ẹni tí ó ṣe olùtọ́jú àwọn obìnrin; kí a ṣe ìtọ́jú u wọn dáradára.
and let the king appoint commissioners to all the provinces of his kingdom to gather them all to Susa the royal residence. Let them be brought into the women’s quarters under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who has charge of the women. Then give them what is needed to make them beautiful,
4 Nígbà náà kí ọmọbìnrin tí ó bá tẹ́ ọba lọ́rùn kí ó jẹ́ ayaba dípò Faṣti.” Ìmọ̀ràn yìí tẹ́ ọba lọ́rùn, ó sì tẹ̀lé e.
and let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The proposal pleased the king so he put it into action.
5 Ó sì ṣe ní ìgbà náà ará a Júù kan wà ní ilé ìṣọ́ ti Susa, ẹni tí orúkọ rẹ̀ ń jẹ́ Mordekai ọmọ Jairi, ọmọ Ṣimei, ọmọ Kiṣi, ẹ̀yà Benjamini,
In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6 ẹni tí Nebukadnessari ọba Babeli ti gbé lọ sí ìgbèkùn láti Jerusalẹmu, lára àwọn tí wọ́n kó ní ìgbèkùn pẹ̀lú ọba Jekoniah ọba Juda.
(Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the exiles who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took captive.)
7 Mordekai ní arákùnrin kan ẹni tí orúkọ rẹ̀ ń jẹ́ Hadassa, ẹni tí ó tọ́ dàgbà nítorí tí kò ní baba bẹ́ẹ̀ sì ni kò ní ìyá. Obìnrin yìí, ẹni tí a tún mọ̀ sí Esteri, ó dára ó sì lẹ́wà, Mordekai mú u gẹ́gẹ́ bí ọmọ rẹ̀ nígbà tí baba àti ìyá rẹ̀ ti kú.
Mordecai had adopted Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, since she had neither father nor mother. The girl was shapely and beautiful; and after her father and mother died, Mordecai raised her as if she was his own daughter.
8 Nígbà tí a ti kéde òfin àti àṣẹ ọba, ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ àwọn ọmọbìnrin ni a kó wá sí ilé ti ìṣọ́ Susa, sí abẹ́ ìtọ́jú Hegai. A sì mú Esteri náà wá sí ààfin ọba pẹ̀lú, a fà á lé Hegai lọ́wọ́, ẹni tí ó jẹ́ alábojútó ilé àwọn obìnrin.
When the king’s command and decree were known, many girls were gathered together to Susa the capital under the custody of Hegai. Esther was also taken into the king’s palace and placed under the custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
9 Ọmọbìnrin náà sì wù ú, ó sì rí ojúrere rẹ̀, lẹ́sẹ̀kẹsẹ̀ ó pèsè àwọn ohun tí ó dára àti oúnjẹ pàtàkì fún un. Ó sì yan àwọn ìránṣẹ́bìnrin wúńdíá méje láti ààfin ọba òun àti àwọn ìránṣẹ́bìnrin náà lọ sí ibi tí ó dára jù nínú ilé àwọn obìnrin.
The girl pleased him and gained his favor, so that he quickly gave her the cosmetics she needed to enhance her beauty and her allowance of food and the seven maids selected from the king’s household. He also transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 Esteri kò tí ì sọ nípa àwọn ènìyàn àti ìdílé e rẹ̀, nítorí Mordekai ti pàṣẹ fún un pé kí ó má ṣe sọ ọ́.
Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
11 Ní ojoojúmọ́ ni Mordekai máa ń rìn ní iwájú ilé àwọn obìnrin láti wo bí Esteri ṣe wà ní àlàáfíà àti ohun tí ó ṣẹlẹ̀ sí i.
Every day Mordecai would to walk in front of the courtyard of the harem and ask after Esther’s health and what was happening to her.
12 Kí àkókò tó tó fún obìnrin kọ̀ọ̀kan láti lọ sí ọ̀dọ̀ ọba Ahaswerusi, ó ní láti lo ohun èlò tí ń mú ara lẹ́wà tí a yàn fún àwọn obìnrin fún oṣù méjìlá, yóò lo òróró òjìá fún oṣù mẹ́fà, yóò sì lo ohun èlò olóòórùn dídùn tùràrí àti ìpara fún oṣù mẹ́fà pẹ̀lú.
The girls were prepared for meeting King Ahasuerus for twelve months: six months being treated with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. After the twelve months,
13 Báyìí ni yóò ṣe lọ síwájú ọba: ohunkóhun tí ó bá béèrè ni wọ́n fi fún un láti inú ilé àwọn obìnrin lọ sí ààfin ọba.
each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
14 Ní alẹ́ ni yóò lọ síbẹ̀, tí ó bá sì di òwúrọ̀ yóò padà sí ilé kejì nínú ilé àwọn obìnrin ní abẹ́ ìtọ́jú Ṣaaṣigasi ìwẹ̀fà ọba ẹni tí ó máa ń ṣe ìtọ́jú àwọn àlè. Òun kò ní lọ sí ọ̀dọ̀ ọba mọ́ àyàfi tí inú ọba bá dùn sí i, tí ó sì ránṣẹ́ pé ó ní orúkọ obìnrin.
and would enter the palace in the evening and return the next morning to another part of the harem under the care of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz who was in charge of concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he desired her and summoned her by name.
15 Nígbà tí ó kan Esteri (ọmọbìnrin tí Mordekai gbà ṣe ọmọ, ọmọbìnrin arákùnrin rẹ̀ tí ó ń jẹ́ Abihaili) láti lọ sí ọ̀dọ̀ ọba, wọn kò béèrè fún ohunkóhun ju èyí tí Hegai, ìwẹ̀fà ọba ẹni tí ó jẹ́ olùtọ́jú ilé àwọn obìnrin sọ pé kí ó ṣe lọ. Esteri sì rí ojúrere lọ́dọ̀ gbogbo àwọn tí ó rí i.
When it was the turn of Esther (the girl adopted by Mordecai, daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go in to the king, she only took with her those things that Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, had advised her to take. Esther was liked by all who saw her.
16 A mú Esteri lọ síwájú ọba Ahaswerusi ní ibùgbé ọba ní oṣù kẹwàá, tí ó jẹ́ oṣù Tebeti, ní ọdún keje ìjọba rẹ̀.
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Esteri sì wu ọba ju àwọn obìnrin tókù lọ, Ó sì rí ojúrere àti oore-ọ̀fẹ́ gbà ju ti àwọn wúńdíá tókù lọ. Nítorí náà ó fi adé ọba dé e ní orí ó sì fi ṣe ayaba dípò Faṣti.
And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favorite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Ọba sì ṣe àsè ńlá, àsè Esteri, fún gbogbo àwọn ọlọ́lá àti àwọn ìjòyè e rẹ̀. Ó sì kéde ìsinmi jákèjádò ìgbèríko ó sì pín ẹ̀bùn fún wọn pẹ̀lú bí ọba ṣe lawọ́ tó.
Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honor of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
19 Nígbà tí àwọn wúńdíá tún péjọ ní ìgbà kejì, Mordekai jókòó sí ẹnu-ọ̀nà ọba.
All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
20 Ṣùgbọ́n Esteri pa àṣírí ìdílé e rẹ̀ àti ibi tí ó ti wá mọ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí Mordekai ṣe sọ fún un pé kí ó ṣe, nítorí tí ó ń tẹ̀lé àṣẹ tí Mordekai fún un gẹ́gẹ́ bí ó ṣe máa ń ṣe nígbà tí ó wà ní ọ̀dọ̀ Mordekai.
Esther had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing her up.
21 Ní àsìkò tí Mordekai jókòó sí ẹnu-ọ̀nà ọba, Bigitana àti Tereṣi, àwọn ìjòyè ọba méjì tí wọ́n máa ń ṣọ́ ẹnu-ọ̀nà, wọ́n bínú, wọ́n sì ń wá ọ̀nà láti pa ọba Ahaswerusi.
In those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the royal court attendants, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the entrance of the palace, became enraged and attempted to kill King Ahasuerus.
22 Ṣùgbọ́n Mordekai sì mọ̀ nípa ọ̀tẹ̀ náà, ó sọ̀ fún ayaba Esteri, Esteri sì sọ fún ọba, wọ́n sì fi ọlá fún Mordekai.
But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 Nígbà tí wọ́n sì wádìí ọ̀rọ̀ náà tí ó sì jásí òtítọ́, a sì so àwọn ìjòyè méjèèjì náà kọ́. Gbogbo nǹkan wọ̀nyí ni a kọ sínú ìwé ìtàn ní iwájú ọba.
When the affair was investigated and the facts discovered, the conspirators were both hanged on the gallows. The incident was recorded in the presence of the king in the daily record of events.

< Esther 2 >